Country Escape Lydden

A lovely rural retreat. Our cottage is set just off the main road in the village of Lydden. With beautiful views across the fields and downs there are lovely walks in the vicinity and the Lydden Temple Ewell nature reserve is one of Europe's finest surviving chalk downlands ! This property is perfectly located in the village of Lydden which has good transport links, being adjacent to the main A2 trunk road connecting Dover to London and the national motorway and within easy reach of the High Speed rail route to London St Pancras station.

The City of Canterbury’s Park and Ride is only 9.5 miles away in one direction and Dover Ferry Port located 7.5 miles away in the other direction. The Channel Tunnel Terminal is also only 10 miles away and if you are a fan of Motor Sport then you have Lydden Hill race circuit 2.5 miles up the road. A Well equipped comfortable cottage with a wood burning stove and whole house electric comfort heating to create a comfortable environment. The local country pub serves amazing food and there is a small shop within walking distance. There is a bus stop located within a minutes walk away from the property and buses run to Canterbury and Dover approximately every 15 minutes throughout the day.

The Property

A good sized 3 bedroom cottage with a lounge and separate dining area.

Guest access

Access to the entire cottage, off road parking at the side of the cottage, this parking is available free of charge and is only really suitable for small to medium vehicles. It is a tight and steep driveway to get into and may need several manoeuvres to master. We find it easier to reverse into the space from up the lane. There is also ample parking in the main road located within a one minute walk of the property if you prefer.

Interaction with guests

A coded key safe is available which enables guests the flexibility to arrive at their convenience. We shall contact you prior to your stay with a code for the safe. ( these codes change after each guest)

During your visit we are contactable 24 hours a day to answer any questions or to assist if we can and of course for any maintenance requirements.

Upon your arrival we will welcome you with a call or text and again after your first night to ensure you have all you require.

We then leave you to enjoy your time without further interruption from us.

The local area

Lydden is one of the parishes in the Dover District Council area of Kent, situated in the North Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty just a few miles north of Dover.

Within the village are Lydden Primary School, Lydden Surgery, St Mary’s Parish Church, the Living Well Church, a public house and several small businesses. The village has a village hall and sports field managed by a volunteer committee.

Within the parish and the adjacent parish of Temple Ewell is the internationally important

Lydden and Temple Ewell Nature reserve, managed by the Kent wildlife Trust, is one of Europe's finest surviving chalk downlands. This reserve contains areas of chalk downland, ancient semi-natural grassland and marginal woodland. It is rich in species and chalk flowers include burnt-tip and early spider orchid. It is a good site for butterflies such as common, Adonis and chalkhill blues as well as a number of grasshoppers and bush-crickets, including the largest British species, the great green bush-cricket. Bird species include skylark and some birds of prey.

The reserve lies on a south facing slope and can be very steep in places. Visitors are asked to keep to the paths and leave gates as they find them. Dogs should be kept under control at all times due to grazing animals. The reserve is bordered by several roads and these kerbside habitats are also managed as Roadside Reserves. The reserve has little signage on the road but the free car park, and access into the reserve, is situated behind the houses in the middle of Temple Ewell village, on the north side of London Road, opposite the entrance to the High Street.

Dragon Wood

Dragon Wood is a traditional english woodland with a wide range of deciduous trees and plants situated in Temple Ewell. Bird boxes have been erected by parishinors and this are has become a haven for wildlife. It borders onto a nature reserve which is managed by the Kent Wildlife Trust. The wood is used by dog walkers, bird watchers and school projects/trips. It is managed by local volunteers.

Lydden Hill Race Circuit

Lydden Hill Race Circuit (formerly known as Lydden Circuit) is a motorport venue located at Wotton, about half-way between Canterbury and Dover in Kent, England. The mile-long circuit is mainly used for Rallycross, Drift, Saloon and Sports car racing as well as Motorcycle racing.It is the shortest road racing circuit in the United Kingdom. The track, previously owned by the McLaren Group, has undergone massive changes to make it the hub of Kentish motorsport. The track is one of two motor racing circuits in the county of Kent, along with Brands Hatch.

History of Lydden Hill

Lydden was founded in 1955 by Bill Chesson with the help of the Astra Motor Club. From 1957, they promoted stock-car racing and grass-track racing for motorcycles. By 1962, Chesson wanted to progress and laid a tarmac track in order to promote motor and motorcycle road racing. The original plan was for a 1-mile circuit but this scheme had to be put on hold when the tarmac ran out at what is known as the Devil’s Elbow; the result was the short circuit, which is sometimes used by Legends and Hot Rods.

In 1965, tarmac asphalt was laid for hosting car racing up to Formula Three. Lydden became extremely popular, to the point that in 1967 a meeting featuring Formula Three was televised.

On February 4, 1967, the sport of Rallycross was born at Lydden, combining tarmac and non-tarmac elements; the inaugural race was won by Vic Elford in a Porsche 911. Since 1973, Lydden Hill has seen rounds of Embassy/ERA European Rallycross Championships and FIA European Championships for Rallycross Drivers. To this day, Lydden, as the so-called "Home of Rallycross", still holds British Rallycross Championship racing, especially with its popular Easter Monday meeting.

By 1986, Chesson was under pressure to erect armco barriers, but he steadfastly refused to do so, on the grounds that they would be dangerous to the motorcycle-racing fraternity, he put the circuit up for sale. Tom Bissett came up with the asking price and subsequently bought Lydden Circuit from Bill Chesson, marking the end of an era.

In March 1991, Mr and Mrs Bissett entered into a joint venture with McLaren. McLaren subsequently acquired the Bissett’s shares in Lydden and became sole owners. They bought the track and leased it to the British Motorcycle Racing Club (BMCRC) from 1993 on, thus allowing both cars and bikes to have full use of the track. BMCRC were based at Lydden until the end of 2007, and it formed their home track, playing host to the annual 'Lord of Lydden' and 'Sidecar burnup' races, together with a number of club motorcycle race meetings.

From 2008, Lydden Hill’s current owners took charge with an extensive plan of upgrades and developments for the circuit, including its brand new state of the art Race Control facility.